Thanks for the replies. Yeah, I already have a GTX470. I think when I priced it out, another GTX470/new PSU was almost the same as upgrading to a GTX580/selling my GTX470. After going thru several threads, I also heard runninig SLI sometimes causes headaches (for a novice like myself)? And the heat with SLI would concern me to. I might wait a bit to see what else comes out.....

Thanks for the replies. Yeah, I already have a GTX470. I think when I priced it out, another GTX470/new PSU was almost the same as upgrading to a GTX580/selling my GTX470. After going thru several threads, I also heard runninig SLI sometimes causes headaches (for a novice like myself)? And the heat with SLI would concern me to. I might wait a bit to see what else comes out.....

SLI can have problems but they can usually be solved pretty easily. 470s are so cheap right now (Under $200 used) I think that's your best bet.

470 sli is nice, some people just prefer a single card anyways. I had a single 470 first then upgraded my system recently, and I figured getting another 470 was probably less time consuming then selling my 470 and buying a 580.

Heat is only a concern when you put the 2nd card right next to the first one instead of skipping a slot to allow air circulation, for me at least. Once I moved the 2nd card down the motherboard it was fine for temps.

GTX 470 in single card setup is 30% slower than a GTX 580. Assuming SLI scaling of 75% average, it'll be 45% faster than a GTX 580. While this is not an exact measurement, it is a good guideline to follow. Since a GTX 470 can be found at $260 new and $190 used, I think the choice is clear.

What's your PSU? Hardware Canucks measured 541W system power consumption on a high-end system with GTX 470 SLI. As long as you have a PSU that can deliver that much power reliably on the 12V rails and has four PCI-E connectors, you're good to go.

What's your PSU? Hardware Canucks measured 541W system power consumption on a high-end system with GTX 470 SLI. As long as you have a PSU that can deliver that much power reliably on the 12V rails and has four PCI-E connectors, you're good to go.

I have a 600w Thermaltake that has only 2 pci connectors. There were some power adapters that came with my GTX470 if I didn't have the pci connectors (I think they were molex adapters). I could just use those correct? If I don't have to upgrade the PSU and can get a used GTX470......might be more doable....

I have a 600w Thermaltake that has only 2 pci connectors. There were some power adapters that came with my GTX470 if I didn't have the pci connectors (I think they were molex adapters). I could just use those correct? If I don't have to upgrade the PSU and can get a used GTX470......might be more doable....

I'd recommend a PSU upgrade. Thermaltake's PSUs are not based on very reliable units and it probably can't handle the cards and CPU in the 12v rail well; it it could, it would be seriously pushing it. The PSU would have to work at more than 90% to deliver the power, which is no good.